Chapter 33: The Making Of A Beast

Horrified, Maria rushed over and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Uncle Sarkon! I promise to behave!" "I am," the familiar voice corrected. Maria pulled away but stood closer to her guardian. A hand reached out to touch the fading scars. "Does it hurt?" Her small voice whispered. Her guardian stared ahead with a deadpan expression… Maria stared at the economics equation on her laptop screen. A tiny smile formed on her lips. The day she was almost killed was the day Sarkon realized that martial arts was the only thing he didn't know, and he began to train in jiu-jitsu. A pang of guilt seeped into her. "Are you trying to make me guilty?" Julie's snappy attitude jerked her out of her thoughts. Maria turned. The pretty fuming face was glaring back at her. She jolted forward, snapped her laptop shut, and stood. "I am going to bed," Maria mumbled and slid quickly under her covers. It was then she noticed Julie in a shoulder-revealing, curve-